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Maehem News: ITHEIST Releasing Self-titled Debut Album on June 21

Formerly known as Aetherium Mors, UK extreme metal duo ITHEIST will self-release its self-titled debut album on June 21. Album track “Guardian of Baphomet” is now streaming.

Stream “Guardian of Baphomet”

Formed by multi-instrumentalist Dan Couch and vocalist / lyricist Kane Nelson, with roots tracing back to 2004, ITHEIST is ready to enter a new phase of existence and creativity. With songwriter Dan’s involvement in multiple musical projects over the years (including Black/Death Metal band Carcinoma and Black/Thrash band Holodomor among others) making a marked impression on his writing style, the new album brings together blackened melody with dissonance, creating a unique style of extreme metal. Elements of classic bands such as Death, Carcass and Dissection collide with more experimental bands such as Akercocke, Ulcerate and Gorguts, but without compromising ITHEIST’s own identity.

Lyricist and vocalist Kane has upped the ante on previous work with powerful lyrics referencing the fall of Lucifer (the first Itheist) as an allegory for personal strength to shape one’s own reality in accordance with one’s own will. Satanism is uniquely expressed in Itheist’s music. Kane explains the lyrical concepts as follows: “Previous lyrics have focused on the repugnant ideals of monotheism and theocracy and why it should be abolished. Itheist’s lyrics focus on forging ones own reality through the Satanic virtue of discipline and creating an environment that cultivates the causal advancement of personal greatness and power, creating a dark and powerful mindset that embraces reality as opposed to the life hating, ghoulish trappings of so many black metal bands.”

The new self-titled album was tracked by Dan in his own private studio. Mixing and mastering was handled by Damian Herring (owner of Subterranean Watchtower Studios and Vocalist/Guitarist of U.S. Death Metal band Horrendous). Damian was a conscious choice through his work mixing and mastering his own music, as well as countless highly respected underground bands such as Blood Incantation, Moss Upon the Skull and Ellorsith. His mixing ethos is a highly dynamic, anti-‘Loudness Wars’ approach, which fits perfectly with ITHEIST’s sonic vision.

The incredible stippled-style album artwork is by Manuel Tinnemans (who has also provided art for Spearhead, Scythian, and Lychgate among others), and depicts a horde of demons entering a Heavenly throne room, tearing through celestial beings in an orgy of violent destruction; a fitting visual representation of the album’s musical content.